Trojans shut out Panthers on goal by Rightmyer

Tulpehocken sophomore Casey Rightmyer let the what-if question flicker through her mind for a millisecond.

What if she didn't connect on what looked like a perfect scoring opportunity? On a night like Thursday, it was impossible to guess when - or if - the next chance would present itself.

As it turned out, there was no need to wonder. Rightmyer scored off an assist from Nikki Dunlap with 8:56 remaining, breaking a tie and leading Tulpehocken to a 1-0 victory over Schuylkill Valley at Leesport.

The Trojans (4-0, 5-0) had a 7-1 advantage in shots and finally broke through against a stingy Panthers defense late in the second half.

"We were working really, really hard," Rightmyer said. "As soon as Nicole hit me that through ball, I thought, 'Hit it far post, not to the goalie.' If I didn't make it, it would have been disappointing. But I made it, and it was the greatest feeling ever."

Especially given the circumstances.

The Trojans had several scoring chances in the second half, including a couple of one-on-one opportunities from rather difficult angles. One shot sailed wide left of the goal, and another went right.

"They showed they're very tough defenders," Tulpehocken coach Paul Zerbe said. "Their goalkeeper is very good. It was going to take something like what we had.

"We played well. We played a lot in their end. We started moving the ball around better. I started to feel our speed, our style, would get us through."

And, just when it started to look like overtime was almost inevitable, Rightmyer scored. Though it was her fourth goal of the season, she said it was the "biggest adrenaline rush so far."

"We lost to them 9-1 last year," Rightmyer said. "This was a huge game to us. We wanted redemption, and we got it."

Trojans goalie Olivia Webber made one save. Her counterpart, Kirsti Bair, had six.

Schuylkill Valley coach Jason Bagenstose said he couldn't ask for anything more from his keeper or the defenders.

"Our defense was under pressure the whole game," Bagenstose said. "We haven't been able to get an attack going. One mistake can do it. My defense played their hearts out. We're really struggling right now in our possession game. I can't say anything bad about our defense."

The Panthers (2-2, 4-3) dropped their second consecutive 1-0 game and combined for just two shots in the losses. On the bright side, Bagenstose said, his team is a blend of youth and experience - meaning the Panthers should improve offensively as the season progresses.

Tulpehocken, meanwhile, is off to a solid start and has given up just one goal in its first five games. Zerbe said the primary goal is to work toward the postseason.

"We want to put ourselves in a good place and get a high seed for districts," Zerbe said. "It's still early. We're not precise enough yet. It's nice to come to these away fields and win games. I think we play better on the turf."

Tulpehocken will play Hamburg at 1 p.m. Saturday at home. Schuylkill Valley will play at noon Saturday versus Oley Valley.